Automatic mail-bag ejector and receiver.



PATENTED JU N E'2,1908.

- G. W SOMERVILLE.

AUTOMATIC MAIL BAG EJEGTOR AND RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 31,1907.

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its transfer to or from the car.

UNITED STATES PATEN oEEIoE.

GEORGE W. SOMERVILLE, OF SAWTELLE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO B. SOHULTHEISS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC MAIL-BAG EJ'ECTOR AND RECEIVER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SoMER VILLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sawtelle, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Automatic Mail-Bag Ejector and Receiver, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of the resent invention is to supply means for trans erring mail bags to or from mail cars in such manner that the train will not be delayed in its movement and the mail bag and the contents thereof will not be injured.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of the means at the side of the track for receiving and conveying the bag in Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the bag receiver and carrier showing a portion of a mail car provided with the operating means for the carrier. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a mail car,

showing the said operating means thereon.'

Fig. 4 is a detailed elevation of a locking bracket for said operating means. Fig. 5 is a plan thereof.

1 designates a railroad track alongside of which, on posts or standards 2, is supported a wire or cable 3 constituting a track for the mail carrier, said wire or cable being preferably maintained in a definite condition of tension so as to have a slight sag toward the middle, this being effected by passing the wire or cable over pulleys 4, on the standards 2, and suspending weights 5 at the end thereof. The wire or cable track extends parallel to the car track 1.

The mail bag carrier comprises a truck 6 having grooved wheels 7 to run on the wire or cable track 3 and a frame 8 depending from said truck and carrying a shaft 9 on which is mounted to turn a spool member 10 having end disks or spiders 11. A mail bag receiver or basket 12 is suspended by pivot connections 13 from the disks or spiders 11 on spool 10 and said disks have counter-weight portions 14 of sufiicient weight to hold the spool in position with the basket elevated as shown in Fig. 2 when the basket is empty, but to allow the basket to swing down under the weight of the mail bag as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 2. Two arms 15, 16, are pivoted respectively at 17, 18, on the spool disks 11 to swing inward and outward, so that when they are swung outwardly as Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 31, 1907.

Patented .Tune 2, 1908.

Serial No. 408,842.

shown, for arm 15, in full lines in Fig. 2, the outer end of the arm will project beyond the spool. Springs 19 are provided on shaft 9 between the ends of the spool 11 and the frame 8, tending to hold the spool in central position longitudinally of the frame 8 but allowing it to yield to a limited extent in either direction to take up the shock of impact of the operating means.

The mail car is provided with operating means for engaging and propelling the carrier along its track, said means consisting of a bail member 20 pivoted on brackets 21, 22, on the mail car 23, one of said operating means being preferably pivoted at each side of each mail receiving or delivering door. One of the brackets, as 22, has means for locking the operating bail in extended position, said bracket having an incline 24 over which the lower end of the bail rides as it turns and a notch 25 into which the lower end of the bail drops and catches when the bail is fully extended, the pivots 26 of bail 2O -allowing the vertical motion of the bail in this manner.

- The 0 eration is as follows :When mail is to be de ivered or ejected from a car, the arm 15 of the carrier is projected, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and the counterbalance weight of the spool holds the basket in the raised position shown, said basket being empty. On the mail car, the bail 20 at the rear side of the delivery door is extended and locked in its extended position by droppinginto slot 25. The carrier will occupy a position at one end or the other of said track, according to the direction of travel of the train. When the mail car comes to the delivery point the extended bail 20 thereon will strike the projected arm 15 and will carry the mail bag carrier along with the car, s ring 19 at the forward end of the carrier ta ing up the shock of impact. The basket or receiver 12 is now opposite the door and directly in front thereof so that the mail clerk can conveniently place the mail bag or bags into said receiver. Immediately on his doing so, the weight of said mail bag or bags depresses the basket, causing the spool 10 to turn on its axis 9, and swinging the arm 15 downwardly and clear of the operatin bail 20, so that the car thus releases the mafi bag carrier and al- "lows the latter to come to rest or to move back to its central position by reason of the sag of the suspending track. The mail bag can then be removed and the spool then automatically returns to position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, ready for another delivery or ejection.

On the other hand, if mail is to be received by the mail car, the spool is turned to bring the basket 12 to'position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the mail bag placed therein and by its weight holding the carrier in this position, the arm 15 being turned inwardly to the position shown in dotted lines and the arm 16 being turned outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines. It will be understood that when the basket 12 is in the osition shown in dotted lines, the arm 16 will be swung around to the horizontal position occupied by arm 15 in Fig. 2 so that arm 16 being extended will be in the path of the operating means 20 on the mail car. WVhen said operating means strikes the said extended arm 16 it draws the carrier along with the car, as above described, and the mail clerk can withdraw the mail bag or bags from the basket 12, whereupon the counterweight 14 turns the spool to raise the basket 12 to position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, at the same time turning the arm 16 over to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and freeing it from the operating means so that the carrier comes to rest as above described. In both the, delivery and the reception of the mail, the bag is manually transferred to or from its receptacle while the receptacle is in the relative motion as regards the person making the transfer, so that the bag can be handled Without injury. In each case, also, the release of the receiver from the operating means is efiected by motion of the engaging means relatively to the wire or cable track or to the line of motion of the carrier.

The supporting track for the carrier may be of any suitable construction and not necessarily of flexible wire or cable. It is preferably at a sufficient height to avoid interference with the passage of persons or vehicles thereunder.

What I claim is 1. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising a track means, a carrier movable thereon, a rotary member yieldingly supported on the carrier provided with means for holding a mail bag, and operating means on the car for drawing the carrier along with the car in the motion of the latter.

2. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending parallel with the car track, a' carrier movable on said track means and provided with an axis, a spool thereon, provided with a mail bag receptacle, means for locking the spool with the receptacle in operative position relative to the car, springs at the ends of the receptacle to take up shock, operating means on the car to engage with the carrier to draw the latter with the car in the motion of the latter, and means for automatically disengaging the carrier from the operating means.

3. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending parallel with the car track, a carrier movable on said track means and provided with mail receiving means, operating means on the car to engage with the carrier to draw the latter with the car in the motion of the latter, and means controlled by the weight of the mail bag for automatically disengaging the carrier from the operating means.

4. Means for transferringmail to or from a moving car, comprising a track means, a mail receiver movable longitudinally thereon and u movable transversely of the track, and means on the car for propelling the receiver along with the car, said receiver having means for engaging the operating means, and releasable therefrom by motion of the receiver transversely of the track.

5. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending parallel with the car track, a carrier movable longitudinally on said track means, a member rotatably mounted on said carrier, a receiver supported by said member, an operating means on a mail car and means on the said rotated member to be engaged by said operating means, and to be released therefrom by the rotation of said member.

6. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending parallel with the car track, and sagging toward its midlength, a truck mounted to run on said track means, a mail receiver carried by said truck and rotatable thereon under the control of the weight of the mail, and provided with a projection for engagement by operating means on the car.

7. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising a flexible track.

means, means for supporting the same under tension, a truck mounted to run on said cable, a counter weight member mounted to turn on said truck under the control of the weight of the mail, a mail receiver on said member, and engaging means on the car and on said member, to engage as the car reaches the member and to be released by the rotation of the member.

8. In a means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, a car provided with per forated brackets, one above the other at the side of the door, one of said brackets having a notch and an inclined surface, and a vertically arranged bail pivotally mounted with its ends in said brackets, one end being adapted to be moved up said inclined surface and to drop into said notch and thereby lock the bail in operative position.

9. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending substantially parallel with the car track, a truck mounted to run on said track means,

a mail receiver carried by said truck, and means for automatically causing the return of said truck to the center of said track means.

10. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising track means extending substantially parallel with the car track, a truck mounted to run on said track means, a mail receiver carried by said truck, and means for causing the return of said truck to the center of said track means.

11. Means for transferring mail to or from a moving car, comprising flexible track means extending along the car track, a truck mounted to run on said track means, a mail receiver carried by said truck, means for loosely supporting the flexible track means at its ends only, and weights on the ends of said flexible track means, the said weights being so proportioned with respect to the Weight of said truck and its ap urtenances that the weight of said truck w 1 cause the flexible track means to sag sufficiently to cause the truck to return to the center of said flexible track means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles California this 23d day of December 1907..

GEORGE W. SOMERVILLE.

In presence of- GEORGE T. HAOKLEY, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

